With the 2022 season coming to a close, the Union Cycliste International (or UCI for short – the sport’s global governing body) has its beady eyes fixed firmly on updating the sport’s technical regulations for the following year.
Yes, that’s right, a new version of the (snappily named) Clarification guide of the UCI technical regulations has been published, and will come into effect on 1 January 2023.
As you’d expect, it’s full of opaque and complicated rules; some new, many old.
Crowd favourites such as the 6.8kg minimum bike weight and maximum sock height rules are unchanged.
But some of the new rules and updates are likely to have material effects on bikes and equipment designed for use in UCI-sanctioned events, such as those races on the WorldTour calendar.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at six key updates to the regulations. From minimum handlebar width and updated aero regulations, to TT tech and helmet dimensions, here’s what’s new for 2023 – and how it might be set to change bike tech. Super-narrow handlebars are banned on the road
After a few ambitious riders had begun experimenting with extremely narrow handlebars in recent years, the UCI has stepped in to put a stop to the fun – or bring in some much needed safety limits (depending on your perspective).While there was previously only a maximum permitted overall handlebar width (which still stands at 500mm for road, track and time trial bikes ), a minimum overall handlebar width of 350mm has now been […]
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